The Last Dance
by mrsl488
Summary: As Caroline finds herself staked to a chair, fearing for her life, thoughts of Klaus invade her mind. Takes place during "Before Sunset" 3x21, slightly AU.


**Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed or favorited my first TVD story, "Birthdays". There is no greater joy for a writer than to receive feedback on something that one has poured out from their heart and then put on display for anyone to examine. You guys are awesome. Special thanks to loveniklaus for her encouragement!**

Caroline was running for her life. From Ric. No, not Ric, this wasn't Ric, this person, hunter, whatever he was would never be Ric. He was Alaric. The name he never wanted to answer to. She pulled her keys out as she reached her car, fumbling like a human in her fear, dropping her keys to the ground. The last thing she remembered before fading to black was Alaric grabbing her by the neck.

She came to in excruciating pain. Tied to a student chair in the History classroom, Alaric was stabbing her right hand with a wooden pencil, no doubt soaked in Vervain. Her left hand was already nailed to the desk with another pencil. She took a breath in to scream and was met with razor-sharp pain running across her tongue and down her throat. She barely got out a groan, realizing that he, Alaric, had gagged her with a Vervain-soaked rag.

As he finished nailing her hand to the desk with the pencil, Alaric took a step back, coldly assessing his handiwork.

"That should hold you," he said, staring at her with cold, empty eyes. If Caroline had not already been scared, the look in his once warm, sometimes watery (thanks to Damon's bourbon), eyes would have freaked her out. As it was, a chill ran down her spine as she realized that this could be it. She could really die-die this time. The white oak stake was peaking out of his jacket and he had a beaker, probably stolen from the Chemistry lab, filled with what appeared to be water mixed with Vervain.

Caroline attempted to speak, but was just met with more pain as Alaric chuckled at her agony-filled reaction.

"I wouldn't try speaking, or moving, if I were you," he said as he tugged on the ropes around her legs which sent more pain through her body. Good grief, had there been a Vervain sale? Clearly he had soaked everything in the herb before using it on her. It was best to follow his advice for now and keep still. Using the only tool she had, Caroline sent daggers his way, glaring at him with her best mean-girl stare. His response was a silent, raised eyebrow as he took a seat at his desk and picked up his phone.

Dialing and putting the phone to his ear, Alaric hesitated as Elena spoke on the other end, Caroline not quite able to hear what she was saying as she spoke softly.

"Well, who else would it be?" Alaric replied, "Listen closely, I'm at the school, I have Caroline, and if you want to keep her alive, I need you to get in your car and come down here right away. If you tell anyone where you are going, I will kill her." He hung up without waiting for an answer.

"Now we wait," he said, putting his phone down and pulling out the stake. "We shouldn't have to wait long for Elena to come to your rescue." He shook his head. "She just never learns that vampires are the enemy," he added conversationally.

Hours seem to go by and Caroline struggled between wanting someone to rescue her and wanting Elena to stay as far away as possible. Maybe she'd send Stefan and Damon, or call Tyler. Perhaps Rebekah had high-tailed it to the mansion after escaping from Alaric and told Klaus that Alaric had her. Klaus would forget her betrayal and rejection and come running. Caroline thought back to Klaus' angry words last night at the dance as he took in her rejection and disdain. Okay, there was probably no help arriving in the form of the Original Hybrid.

Caroline was surprised at the twinge of remorse she felt as she realized that one, Klaus would not come to her rescue, and two, she'd probably never see him again. She had angered him last night, plus, he'd be crazy to show up here when Alaric had a weapon that could kill him. He'd claimed last night he was leaving town and now that his crazy, children-hating witch of a mother had created the "ultimate weapon" he'd probably just grab a bag and go, if he wasn't gone already. There was that twinge again, a little stronger this time. Caroline cried out, in pain, both physical and emotional, as her situation overwhelmed her.

"Right on time," Alaric said quietly, ignoring Caroline's crying. Moments later, Elena appeared in the doorway, horrified at the sight of Caroline.

"Caroline!" Elena gasped, looking at Alaric, "Let her go, Alaric!"

Alaric pointed at Caroline casually, "Free her yourself."

Caroline looked between Elena and Alaric, continuing to cry as her mouth filled with pain. She was terrified that Elena had walked into Alaric's trap, but still hopeful that she'd ignored his warning and brought Stefan, Damon, Tyler, anyone to get them both out of this mess. Deep down Caroline knew that Elena would never put her in danger by ignoring Alaric's warning and so they were on their own. Typically, Caroline could take care of herself and it wouldn't be a problem, but this time she knew things were different.

She looked away from Alaric as Elena slowly walked towards her, obviously not trusting that Alaric would allow her to get too far. Miraculously, Elena reached her, squatting down as she gently stroked her arm, her soft brown eyes filled with pity. She reached for her left hand and slowly pulled the pencil out. So intent on what Elena was doing, Caroline lost sight of Alaric who was suddenly right there, slamming the pencil back into her hand causing Caroline to scream in agony.

"You said that you would let her go!" Elena stood and screamed at Alaric, shocked that he would cause Caroline, or anyone, this amount of pain. Through her pain Caroline realized that Elena still saw this man as Ric. The rules to this game had changed and they were all still catching up.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Elena?" Alaric countered, "Stop trusting vampires!" He pushed Elena down in the seat next to Caroline as he pulled his phone out once more, dialing.

"Stefan," he said softly as Stefan answered on the other end. "You don't sound surprised to hear my voice, I take it that Damon has recovered from his witch-induced aneurysm and spilled the beans." This time, Caroline could hear Stefan on the other end, confirming that both Damon and Bonnie had filled him on the situation. She was shocked to hear that Bonnie had been the one to provide the blood that Alaric had needed to transition into the "ultimate weapon", the vampire/vampire hunter. She looked at Elena in horror.

"I want Klaus delivered to me within the hour or both Elena and Caroline become collateral damage." Caroline jumped at the sound of Klaus' name and realized that Alaric's plan was to draw the Original Hybrid to his death, using what was, in his mind, the best leverage. Thinking back to last night, Caroline hoped that Klaus would laugh at risking his life for her and stay safely away from Alaric and his deadly stake. She refused to consider why she even cared.

She was shaken out of her thoughts of Klaus when she heard Alaric laugh into the phone, "Did Elena sneak out without you knowing again? You really give vampires a bad name. I've never understood how one little human could sneak past you so often without you hearing her or missing the sound of her heartbeat. It's beating so hard right now; I'm surprised you can't hear it."

Caroline locked eyes with Elena again, this time with concern as she worried for her friend. Elena shook her head, mouthing to her not to worry. Alaric ended the call, smiling conversationally at both of them.

"No doubt Stefan's hero complex will get the best of him and he'll be here in, oh," Alaric looked down at his watch, "ten, fifteen minutes? For your sake, I hope he can convince the hybrid to join him."

Caroline's heart dropped at the thought of Klaus' death at the hand of this monster created by his own mother. Sure, he, Klaus was a monster as well, mostly one of his own making, yet he had shown her another side of himself. When he wasn't trying to kill her friends or selfishly draining others of their blood, he really was just a man; a man that painted and listened to music and appreciated the beauty of the world. A man, Caroline, thought, that really just needed to trust someone to love him. She considered that every one of them had killed or hurt someone, sometimes for selfish reasons, and that was enough for her to make a little room in her heart for him. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized she'd never get a chance to tell him that, that she'd never dance with him again, never experience the world through his eyes. It surprised her to admit that a small part of her had believed him when he said she'd join him one day to do those things.

Movement broke Caroline of her reverie. Alaric was moving towards her, reaching out his hand. Caroline flinched instinctively as his hands moved behind her head and untied the Vervain-laced cloth, pulling it from her mouth. Elena grabbed her arm as she cried out in relief, but her relief was short-lived as they watched Alaric soak the cloth once again in the beaker of Vervain and head back towards her.

"No, no more, please," Caroline whimpered, "no more." Caroline wasn't sure how much more she could take. She struggled against the vervain-laced ropes tying her down, which only resulted in more pain, causing her to cry out again, begging for Alaric to stop.

Elena stood, turning towards the vampire hunter, "Alaric, stop!" she demanded, once again forgetting that she longer held any influence over the man in front of her. He pushed her back into the seat she'd occupied just a moment ago.

"Sit down!" he growled as he tied the cloth back around Caroline's mouth. "This keeps the vervain in her system. It's like inhaling razorblades with every breath."

Caroline cried out yet again as her skin began to smoke and burn from the Vervain. For a moment she wondered how her screams weren't being heard across town. She jumped slightly as Elena touched her arm, while looking back again at Alaric.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena cried. Inwardly Caroline wondered how long Elena would refuse to accept what had happened. Anger at her rose for just a moment as Caroline considered the fact that Elena didn't get that for once there was a man in Mystic Falls that wasn't dropping to his knees to do her bidding. Caroline knew she was being unfair; after all, Elena was here, putting herself in danger to keep Caroline safe. But as the pain and agony, and yes, fear, stripped her of all thoughts but basic survival, Caroline wanted to scream at Elena to open her eyes to what was happening. This man wanted every vampire dead. Alaric confirmed her thoughts.

"To make it easier on you when you put her out of her misery," he answered sharply, picking up the white oak stake and walking towards Elena.

Elena recoiled in horror, "What?! No," she screamed at him.

"Isn't this what you wanted, Elena? For me to teach you how to kill a vampire?" He pointed the stake at her, "Well, here's a vampire, Elena. Kill her."

Elena shook her head, looking between Caroline and Alaric, "This isn't what I want!"

Alaric moved closer, leaning down, inches from Elena's face, "Of course it is," he said softly, "all those hours you spent training, getting stronger. You could be a hunter, Elena, but you've never actually staked a vampire through the heart." Elena looked down as he pushed the stake closer to her, silently demanding she take it.

Caroline watched the standoff between the two as they decided her fate. She thought back to right before Katherine had killed her, when Matt loved her and she knew nothing about vampires or werewolves or hybrids. As much as she loved the person that she'd become since her transition, right now she'd gratefully welcome the spoiled, shallow Caroline Forbes with open arms. That Caroline didn't get tortured and shot up with wooden bullets by werewolves, or tied to a chair in her history classroom while her sadistic ex-history teacher discussed her fate with her best friend. She groaned again in pain. She was tired of being collateral damage.

Collateral damage. Klaus was the first to put it into words, and while guilty of using her as any of the others, he's also the only one who'd ever apologized for it and in his own way had tried to make up for it since that day. As if on repeat, his angry, rejected face at the end of their dance flashed through her mind again and a silent tear escaped her eye, burning its way down her cheek.

Caroline was jolted out of her thoughts by the force of Elena being pushed into the adjacent chair by Alaric. Her chair was bumped, causing Caroline to groan in pain as the pencils in her hand shook with the impact. Elena cried out in sympathy, earning a glare from Alaric, who was pacing before them.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena cried.

Alaric glared at her, "because you need me. Because you're an 18 year old girl without parents or guidance or any sense of right and wrong anymore."

Looking at Caroline, then back to Alaric, Elena glared at him in horror.

"Look at you," she said, her hand sweeping the classroom, pointing to the vervain mixture, the stake and Caroline being tortured right next to her, "how is this right?"

Sneering at Elena and pointing the stake at Caroline, Alaric answered in disbelief, "She's a murderer. She told me she killed someone and liked it."

Elena glanced at Caroline, both of them remembering the carnival worker she had killed shortly after becoming a vampire. More importantly, Caroline recalled the words she said to Ric after finding out that he was the one that had killed her father.

"Now how is that right?" Alaric continued, "Listen, Elena, your parents led the council. It was their life's mission to keep this town safe. They weren't dead six months before you undid it all."

Caroline felt Elena recoil at Alaric's words, "You don't know anything about them!"

"Why, am I wrong? Do you actually think that they'd be proud of you?" Alaric argued back, kneeling down in front of Elena. "If you don't side with the humans, you're just as bad as them. Now kill her," he said firmly, handing her the stake, "Or I'll do it for you and I'll make it hurt. Get up!"

He grabbed Elena's arm, pulling her out of her seat. As she stood before Caroline, Elena looked at her friend in sympathy and confusion. More so, Caroline could see Elena trying to work out what to do and how to get them out of this. Without warning, Alaric forced the White Oak stake into Elena's hand and pulled away. She stood there for a moment, eyes locked with Caroline's. Nodding at her slightly, Elena turned, throwing herself at Alaric, the stake aimed at his heart. Before she could make contact, he had grabbed her wrist, releasing the stake.

"I thought I taught you better than that," he said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"You did," Elena, yelled, grabbing the beaker of Vervain and breaking it over Alaric's head. As he screamed in pain and anger, she rushed over to Caroline. Pain rushed through her as the pencils were pulled out, the cloth jerked out of her mouth and her bound legs released.

"Get help!" Elena pulled her from the chair, and then pushed her towards the door.

Caroline used what vampire strength she had to rush out of the room, sensing Elena right behind her, but as she looked back she saw Alaric, face smoking, blocking Elena from leaving the room. Not sure whether she should go back to help Elena or go for help, she continued backing away from the History room when someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth.

"Shhh. Its okay, it's okay. It's me." Klaus. Caroline, who thought she couldn't be shocked anymore today, was now standing safely in Klaus' arms, his hand over her mouth as he attempted to comfort her. Feeling her relax into his arms, he slowly removed his hand from her mouth.

"It's okay, you're safe," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "We'll save Elena. You go straight home. You stay inside, do you understand?" He tightened his grip on her, turning her around so he could look her in the eyes.

Caroline was lost in his blue eyes as he looked down her with an intensity she'd never seen from him. "Do you understand me?" He shook her slightly trying to make his point…which Caroline couldn't figure out. He was protecting her; he was saving her, knowing her well enough to know she'd probably head back to the History room to save Elena. How was it that he knew her so well?

Caroline nodded at him, agreeing to his demand. "Thank you…Klaus." Her hand slowly lifted to his cheek, his always-present stubble tickling her hand. For just a moment, they stood there, everything they hadn't said to each other hanging there between them. Caroline realized that this could be their moment, their one and only moment as he prepared to rush towards the only thing in the world that could kill him. She thought back to the previous times they'd been in each other's arms, dancing at his mother's ball and then, of course, last night when they'd parted in anger. She saw his eyes darken slightly as her eyes drifted to his lips and he closed the distance between them, touching his to hers softly, moving gently over hers, the moment seeming to last forever.

Finally, he ended the kiss, touching his forehead to hers for a fleeting moment. "Go home, love." She nodded, tears in her eyes, and flashed away from him.

**Epilogue**

Caroline walked into her bedroom, half hoping to see Klaus sitting on her bed, but knowing that was impossible. She had just come from Elena's, where they had celebrated Klaus being taken down, desiccated by Tyler, Damon and Stefan and then tucked away in a coffin. Klaus would appreciate the irony, she half-sobbed to herself.

The Klaus-is-Gone celebration was her idea. She wasn't really sure how it had happened, but Tyler had been so excited, so happy to be free from Klaus. She had been overcome with guilt. Guilt that she had kissed the Hybrid, guilt that her friends locked him in a box. She knew she should be mad. Tyler told her how he had found Klaus, draining Elena of all her blood. While it horrified her, she also knew that he had saved her life today when he didn't have to and she couldn't completely hate him.

Right now Damon and Stefan were on their way to dump Klaus' body in the ocean, never to be seen again. Caroline couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes as she imagined eternity without him haunting her, promising her things she shouldn't want from him. She slid down the side of her bed, tears falling freely as she reached into her bedside table, pulling out the picture he'd drawn for her the night of their first dance. She stroked the pencil markings, smudging them slightly where her tears had fallen. Silently, she promised Klaus, and herself, that she would see the genuine beauty of the world that he had wanted to show her, occasionally saving him a dance, even if she danced alone.

**Thanks so much for reading! If so inspired, please leave a review. **


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